Advice NEEDED !!!

Sage · Jul 11th 2009, 10:11am

Well lets see.... as far as LC goes...

I have now been doing it for 11 weeks.

For the last 5 or so weeks there has been no progress at all really, there has been a few days here and there where I have been 77kg but it always goes up to 78 again !!!!!

So I am obviously doing something wrong.

I have never cheated once.

I have tried juggling things around and had very little effect from it.

So I am going back to the start....again.
I purchased a notebook yesterday and I am going to keep a daily food diary and record the weight for each day and then as I make changes I will be able to see the pattern .

My carbs are always under 25.
I don't worry about calories, and dinner always has meat and veges, and I eat enough to satisfy my hunger.

Typical days menu....

2 or 3 almond cookies
1 cup coffee with milk no sweetener
2 or 3 eggs, sometimes with some ham or tomato
Chicken breast cooked in butter
green beans and zucchini cooked in butter ( always at least 1 and a half cups of veg total)
whole egg mayo to go with chicken around 30gm
2 or 3 squares of LC dark chocolate
psyllium husk - 2 to 4 teaspoons
at least 2 litres of weak diet rite cordial ( aspartame free )
occasionally a glass of caffeine free diet coke

what am I doing wrong?
how much protein should I be having each day?

Any tips..... pleeeeeze !

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Sage · Jul 11th 2009, 10:37am

Do you think maybe my protein is too lean?

Maybe I should try pork and lamb chops for a while?

janal · Jul 11th 2009, 1:55pm

Hi Sage,
Just trying to remember if you have a little or a lot to lose?
I found when I hit that stage where your at now (not losing) I needed to consider how many calories I was having even though I know where watching carbs. Unfortunately excess calories will stop you from losing

The other culprits are cheese & nuts to much will stall many people.

Don't get disheartened though you may only need to make a small change to get things going again.

In one of the books I read, it said something like "if your not losing take 100g of protein out of 1 meal a day. Give that some time to see if the weight starts shifting again and if not take another 100g of protein out of another meal etc. until you reach a balance of losing steadily."

I actually haven't tried this but I think it's in Dr Atkins book.

The other way would be to use calorie king to run your food though and see how many calories your intake is and maybe drop your level down say 200 calories and see if that produces any results.

It's a very useful tool and I know for me I'd have no idea of how much I am having without the guidance of those counts. It has been very helpful.

Sage · Jul 11th 2009, 2:34pm

Thanks

I will give calorie king a go and see what it says:)

...............

Well I put in everything I ate yesterday and came up with 1456 calories...
and about 15 carbs...

But even if i buggered it up a bit and am out by 200 or 300 it is still not too high I think.

I will skip the almond cookies for a few days and see what happens.

Sage · Jul 11th 2009, 2:36pm

Oh yeah...

I started at 85 kg and am at 78 kg now.

Sherrie · Jul 11th 2009, 3:14pm

Are you eating red meat at all? Do you exercise?

Sage · Jul 11th 2009, 4:30pm

Hi Sherrie,

I walk for 45 mins up to 3 to 4 hours , 5 or 6 days a week. ( 3 to 4 hours only once or twice a week)
Just regular walking not power walking or anything.

I haven't had red meat for years, though I have purchased some lamb chops for dinner tonight, I thought maybe because 80% of the meat I eat is chicken breast, maybe it is too lean.

I did love lamb chops years ago so I will give them a go.

Will red meat make a difference?

What cuts do you suggest? and how much Protein should I be having?

janal · Jul 11th 2009, 4:44pm

Hi Sage,
Well your calories don't seem to high at all so it shouldn't be that.

Strangely enough, maybe you need to eat more?
I've seen others do that and they have started losing again, if you have more lean days than the one you've shown maybe you're calories are too low so your body is hanging on to everything. Your also exercising so that's another factor for which you may need more calories.

But you've had a 7 kg loss and that certainly isn't bad. Just remember it's a healthier way of eating so your doing yourself a favour, just be a bit more patient. It will happen

I think giving the nuts a miss for a bit may just do the trick.

Sherrie · Jul 11th 2009, 5:15pm

Yes it could help especially if you're still menstruating, you may be anemic.

bsheets · Jul 11th 2009, 5:23pm

Hi!

The carbs and cals sound good. Another option (I know we are just guessing here - but it's worth giving a few a go to see which works for you) is to increase the carbs. If you are following Atkins, you are only to be at 20g carbs for two weeks and then you enter OWL which is increasing the carbs by 5g per week until you stop losing. Sometimes by staying low your body will adjust to that instead.

When you said you have been juggling a few things, are they life things or nutritional things?

Also just something I thought of then when mentioning adjusting - when the carbs are really low the body can make glucose out of excess protein. Whether this is a worry or not depends on your body though.

One last thought (sorry I'm having a scatter-brained day) is that most lc-ers that I know of say you shouldn't go under 2000cals if you are on induction-level carbs (which you are). So I agree with Janal that that might be something to consider.

LC_Dave · Jul 12th 2009, 9:52am

Okay...it's kinda weird that no one has mentioned your frankenfood etc?

Drop the cookies, drop the chocolate, Drop all soda and coffee and only drink water.

Have non-processed meat and three cups of green veggies a day and you will start losing.

All the things I've said to drop are known stallers.

It's hard, but you should start losing again.

Remember it's not forever, those things can come back later.

Sage · Jul 12th 2009, 11:50am

Thanks guys for all your help - I will try them all !!

Sherrie - I am 36 but there is no menstruation due to a hysterectomy thanks to cervical cancer. Though hormones would still play a part I guess:)

Janal - I have often thought to myself that maybe I am not eating enough- but I am stuck in a rut there because I am terrified I will eat too much and trigger cravings again and slip back into my self destructive behaviour .

bsheets - The juggling refers to my food intake. How much protein would you be eating for your body to be converting it to glucose ? I think I average about 100 to 120 a day, but thinking back I am sure there have been days when it is more like 200:eek: is that too much? How should I up the carbs do you think? Maybe different veg like pumpkin ?

LC Dave- I have no problem giving things up for a while to reap the benefits:) Do you think a little squirt of lemon or lime juice into the water would still be ok?

So this is how I will try it....

As of today no more cookies or choc.

I will give it 3 days and then I will eliminate coffee and soda.

and meanwhile I will up the veg a bit.

I'll also make sure I write it all down each day - otherwise a week later I will forget and will probably end up with the same problem. LOL

I think it is just 1 or 2 things I am doing wrong and will only learn what they are by process of elimination.

Thanks so much

Will let you know how I get on.

Sherrie · Jul 12th 2009, 12:11pm

Watch your calories, the more you cut out the more you cut your calories.

Also, you didn't answer my question in your diary on whether you have been taking your temperatures or not. Hysterectomy is another common cause of thyroid problems.

wenever · Jul 12th 2009, 12:35pm

My uneducated guess would be to up the carbs by 5....

janal · Jul 12th 2009, 1:44pm

Sage wrote:

Janal - I have often thought to myself that maybe I am not eating enough- but I am stuck in a rut there because I am terrified I will eat too much and trigger cravings again and slip back into my self destructive behaviour .

You should only have a problem with cravings if you were to get into the carbs like starchy veges, potatoes, breads, pastries & sugars.
We all have times when we have cravings but strong repetitive cravings are triggered by these kind of things and sometimes things that resemble them even though they may be a low carb variety. It's a live and learn thing.

You've certainly got lots to think about now and you have formulated a plan so that's really good.

LC_Dave · Jul 13th 2009, 10:34pm

A squeeze of lemon wouldn't hurt imo

bsheets · Jul 14th 2009, 5:58pm

Mine too

Shez · Jul 15th 2009, 11:18am

I agree with Dave - frankenfoods stall me too!

Sage · Jul 15th 2009, 1:51pm

So I guess store purchased mayonnaise is frankenfood too ....

what if I make my own egg mayonnaise? would that be considered frankenfood too?

I love my meat but I need a little somethin' to go with

what about cream sauce - you know when you put a bit of cream in with the pan juices to make sauce/gravy?

I am starting phase 2 tomorrow and not having coffee and soda....and mayo.... so any suggestions of sauce type material to go with my meat that isn't frankenfood is highly appreciated .

BTW - love the " frankenfoods " nickname, very funny and very apt LOL

Thanks for all your help everyone...:)

janal · Jul 15th 2009, 3:14pm

I'm sure cream in pan juices would be fine, Throw a squeeze of lemon in their as well. Yummo.

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